The Missing Half
by KittyKatThePsycho
Summary: He was doomed to die continously for eternity. That was his fate. However, it seemed fate had changed its plans for him.


A/N: A fanfic in which Diavolo, through his many cycles of death, meets Doppio who has all but gone mad.

Warnings : Graphic violence, disturbing imagery, mentions of suicide. If any of this offends you, please do not read.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

He had lost count of how many times he had already died. At first, he had counted them to keep himself somewhat sane as he tried to find a way to escape the infinite cycle that he was trapped in. He thought that if there was a way to get trapped within the loop, surely there had to be an escape and if anyone could have figured it out it would be him, Diavolo. He would escape, track down Giorno Giovanna and murder the brat for all the suffering he had caused. Those had been his thoughts at some point, but such thoughts had all but vanished as he continued to die and each new death left a new trauma throbbing within his mind.

He had been shot, he had been impaled with a sword, he had been disebowled, he had been burnt alive and he had drowned. Those were the deaths he could remember - or at least, those were the deaths that weren't traumatic enough for him to repress. However, it seemed that fate had not had its fill when it concerned causing him misery. It all started after he had died, yet again, and time had recreated itself and placed him on a cobblestone street which had various coffee shops lined along it. The patrons were laughing and enjoying their lives while the strong smell of coffee floated through the air. It was then that Diavolo knew something was wrong - he felt thirsty. He actually wanted a cup of coffee. The pink-haired man looked around in fear.

Was this a new twist in his endless loop? Was the universe toying with him by giving him some of his senses back? Would it deceive him into thinking he was free only to murder him cruelly again? His heart began to beat faster as he looked around frantically. How would he die? He wondered as people bumped into him and cursed at him. Diavolo didn't care about them, however, as he stood still and looked around. He was aware of some of the patrons whispering about him, he heard them mention "addict" but he couldn't care less. He had not been alive for such a duration of time during his previous experiences and it scared him.

A figure suddenly caught his attention from the corner of his eye. At first, he thought he was seeing things but something told him to turn his head.

His green eyes widened and he felt himself tremble. Across the street, with a morose look on his face, was none other than Doppio. He rubbed his eyes to ensure he was not hallucinating, but when he opened them he was still able to see his other half's slender form from across the street. How was it possible that Doppio was there? Had he not died within Bucciarati's body? Had Giorno somehow trapped him within the endless loop as well?

Diavolo walked to the pedestrian crossing, but his eyes never moved away from Doppio. He doubted that Doppio was trapped as well as he had never seen him throughout any of his deaths. It unnerved him that he was there, he didn't know what it meant. The traffic light turned red and Diavolo ran across the road. However, a truck had been trying to speed across the crossing and Diavolo screamed as his body was crushed underneath its wheels. Blood flooded his mouth as his broken ribs impaled his organs and he tried to crawl to the sidewalk. In a panic, the truck driver reversed and ran over him again. Diavolo let out an ear-piercing howl and begged for the usual cold darkness to envelop him as he continued to bleed onto the road. He felt dizzy and sick as he tried to speak. "D... Doppio..."

He saw Doppio's form stop and begin to turn around, but darkness soon enveloped his mind.

Diavolo awoke in a field littered with white lillies and he groaned. His head felt as if he were hungover, which was an odd feeling as he had been crushed by a truck rather than drinking. He had never been fond of drinking and the only alcohol he consumed was the occasional sip of red wine. The sweet smell of the pure lillies entered his nose and caused him to sneeze in an uncharacteristically cute way. A giggle emanated from across the field and he gasped to see Doppio sitting calmly a few feet away from him.

"What a cute sneeze for a grown man." Doppio said, smiling thinly. Diavolo stared at him confused. Why was he so calm? Why was he with him? Where were they?

"What is your name, stranger?" The pink-haired youth asked. "This is such a strange place. You seem as if you're used to it, though. Perhaps we can be friends."

Diavolo could not respond as his heart beat faster within his chest. He was aware that Doppio did not know who he was, he had never seen Diavolo's face, but it unnerved him at how calm Doppio was acting. Had he accepted his fate? Did it mean that Diavolo had truly died or was close to finally dying now that he could see Doppio? Oh, how he wished it were so.

Doppio frowned at the lack of response. "It's okay if you don't wish to be friends. I suppose it is an odd request from someone you only just met. However, I feel some familiarity towards you. Or perhaps I am tired of being alone. I was abandoned, you see." He bit his lower lip, brown eyes watery." He was my only friend and he left me to die. "

Diavolo felt his throat constrict. He had not given a single thought towards Doppio during his fight against Giorno, nor had he truly thought about him during his deaths. However, seeing Doppio had caused something reminiscent of guilt to form within his chest. Doppio was the other half of his being, albeit the weaker half, and he had thrown him away as if he were just another subordinate. "I..."

The moment Diavolo spoke, Doppio's eyes widened and the air around them suddenly began to grow cold. Diavolo shivered and a small trail of mist escaped his mouth as he exhaled. Doppio stared at him, eyes wide and unblinking as he moved closer towards Diavolo. "Why do you sound like the Boss?" When Diavolo did not respond, Doppio began to breathe faster. His face was pale, his eyes were wide and his hands dug into his pink hair. "Y. You are the Boss! It is you!"

"Doppio, I..." He began to speak but a sharp scream silenced him immediately. He had never feared his other half, but the crazed look mixed with despair that shone within those brown eyes made his blood run cold. He no longer cared about the death loop or the oddness of Doppio's appearance. He was too focused on the youth's reaction.

"Boss, why? You left me to die, Boss! You never called me again! I was so lonely!" Tears streamed down Doppio's face. "You said that I was important. You never hurt me, but you left me. As if I was nothin to you... No... I am nothing to you..." Doppio frowned and hugged himself. "I... I never meant anything..."

The air continued to become colder and Diavolo became aware that the sky above them had turned into an odd shade of violet and black. He stood up and tried to approach Doppio, but his other half moved back. "Don't touch me!" Doppio screamed. "Don't you dare come near me!"

However, Diavolo persisted and moved closer. Their environment acted upon Doppio's state of mind, it seemed, and he knew it would only become more volatile if he wasn't able to calm him down.

Doppio continued to yell at him to stay away, but Diavolo continued to move closer until they were only inches apart. Filled with despair, fear and bitterness, Doppio yelled, "King Crimson!"

Diavolo screamed in pain as a red and white arm rammed itself through his abdomen. His former Stand glared down at him, its eyes emotionless as it ripped its arm from his body. How had his Stand manifested? Why had it only heeded Doppio's calls? There was so much he didn't understand and it upsetted him far more than the fact that he was bleeding to death yet again. Diavolo laid on the ground, breathing heavily as his body grew colder. A few drops fell onto his face and he opened his green eyes to see if it was raining. It wasn't.

Doppio's face loomed over his, pink hair unruly and brown eyes wide. Those eyes were filled with nothing but despair as tears ran down his freckled cheeks and dropped onto Diavolo's face. Diavolo turned onto his back and noted that the sky had changed to a normal navy blue which resembled early night. The air around him had warmed slightly and the smell of lillies was ever strong. More tears kissed his face and he stared at his counterpart. "D.. Doppio.."

"Boss... I don't know how I feel. I'm scared, Boss! I'm so angry at you, I wished you were dead and then King Crimson appeared... Now I don't know!" He grabbed the man's odd fishnet shirt and sank his nails into his skin. "I have every right to hate you! So why am I crying? Why does it feel like my heart is being ripped in two?"

"Doppio.." Diavolo placed his hand upon his counterpart's. "I am afraid I have lied to you. I am not your superior. I am... You. We are two halves of the same coin. We have always been one, but it was not until we met our mother that we truly became seperate..."

"The members of the church began to hate us even more. They made Father's life difficult. We didn't want to see her, we tried to explain it. She was angry, she said we wouldn't exist if it wasn't for her. We attacked her..." Doppio's eyes widened as their repressed memories began to play through his mind." We couldn't kill her because she was our mother, so we hid her away. Then Father found her after he saw us with Donatella. We didn't want to hurt Father, but we couldn't let him tell anyone. Father would lose even more standing in the church, he would hate us forever. We killed him quickly.. Then we burned everything and ran away."

"We were never truly separate but we were never truly the same. We are one whole, but two different halves, Doppio. Our duality served us well." Diavolo began to cough up blood. "I never realized how much I needed you until now, Doppio. I would never have been able to accomplish half of what we did on my own. I was selfish and arrogant. After dying countless times, in the worst and most humiliating ways ever, I think I've finally reached this truth that Golden Experience Reqiuem spoke of. "

" W. What truth would that be, Boss? " Doppio asked as he moved closer to cradle his counterpart's head on his lap.

Diavolo stared up at him." That an emperor with half of a soul is not an emperor at all. I abandoned you because I wanted to win, but if we had stayed together perhaps we would have won. It doesn't matter now, we're both dead, after all." Diavolo's breathing started to become shallow and his eyelids felt heavy." I'm sorry, my cute little Doppio. For everything.. "

Doppio bit his lip and held Diavolo tightly as he watched his breathing become slower. He closed his eyes and whispered." King Crimson."

Blood splattered over white lillies, staining them red and the stars twinkled beautifully against the night sky. In a field of lillies, sat two figures who were both soaked in blood. Their forms were unmoving, they were not breathing and their skin was cold. Yet, the expressions on their faces were peaceful as if both were merely resting and dreaming of happier times.

xxx

Giorno Giovanna felt an odd disturbance within his mind and rubbed his temples. This action did not go unnoticed by Mista, who stared at him with concern. "Are you okay, Giorno? Do you want some water?"

"Diavolo has broken free from his entrapment." Giorno said.

Mista immediately paled. "W. What? But how? I thought that you said his soul was in an infinite death loop that even King Crimson couldn't exist in. How could he have escaped?"

Giorno smiled thinly and stared at the turtle that sat calmly on his desk. "He had help from his other self."

"The boy managed to find him." Polnareff said, noting how Giorno did not seem concerned. "However, this isn't a problem, I'm assuming?"

"He's dead. After suffering countless deaths, Diavolo has finally died. I don't know how that boy managed to get into the death loop or what he did exactly but don't worry, Mista, he is dead. He will never be a threat to us again."

Mista nodded and exhaled. He had no idea what Giorno was talking about, but if he felt that Diavolo was no longer a threat then he trusted his judgment.

"How do you think that boy helped him exactly?" Polnareff asked.

Giorno smiled and relaxed in his chair. "He helped him to accept that his fate was, for once, something he could not alter. He reached his truth. That was all that was needed." He turned a small pencil into a beautiful white lily and twirled it in his hand. "They're both free now."


End file.
